Journey to Erebor
by Serethiel G
Summary: "You can't tell anybody or he will probably kill me. I'm travelling with thirteen dwarves and a hobbit. Mithrandir is accompanying us on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. Thorin Oakenshield is our leader and no one but Gandalf knows that I'm an elf. They only know me as a wolf." I explain.
1. Prologue

I am Eruanna, daughter of King Thranduil of the Woodland Realm and Erulise, who was Beorn's sister. Supposedly, sometime after the death of the king's first wife while he was still mourning, he and my mother met and she was just what he needed. He was allowed to wed her and eventually I followed.

I grew up in Greenwood with my half-brother, Legolas. We grew to love each other as brother and sister, though it took him a while to fully accept my mother and I. The elves didn't accept me at first either. I didn't have pure elf blood and they were skeptical of the king loving another. In time though, they accepted what had happened and showed some respect.

I was in my very early teens when I had first transformed, in the light of a full moon. My mother said it'd help until I was able to change skins on my own command, but I discovered that she said that just to make me feel better. I had transformed into a beautiful wolf with a significantly darker coat than other wolves I had seen before. I was also a considerable amount larger than the size of normal wolves, enough to make anybody do a double take, even if they had heard of me. However, I was also different than the average skin-changer.

Shortly after the revelation of my wolf skin, my mother took me to visit Uncle Beorn. During this visit was when it was discovered I had a third form. I could take the shape of a dragon.

Uncle was telling me of a legend that had been around for a long time. There was a sorcerer who had a strange fascination with dragons. He studied them and went looking for some and once he had set his eyes on one, he had a thought. He somehow managed to create a skin for himself using the blood of a dragon. He could then transform into one of these dangerous creatures. Content that he could now be what he loved so much, he returned to civilization. He found love, love for a woman that so happened to be a skin-changer herself. They wed and had a child whom the sorcerer had hoped his form would pass to. That wasn't the case though. He was thoroughly upset and that was when the mannerism of dragons started to show. He grew quite fond over precious metals which caused many a problem. It had gotten to a point where he was stealing and willing to kill, for he had a terrible and ever growing lust for treasure. His family had to constantly cover for him, but he soon realised what he had become and recognised it had to stop. He had to stop. But he knew that he could never do it alone. He informed his wife and son what must happen and though they readily agreed, they didn't want to carry through. If they wanted to prevent it from getting worse they needed to end him. And they did, but only after expressing their love to one another, one last time. Many years afterwards, his wife perished, though his son found his own love, another skin-changer. They had three children two of which were average. However, after the third child first shifted, it was soon discovered they had a third form. This was the skin that their grandfather had acquired. The gene had passed down after all, but it skipped over a number of generations before it showed up again.

After listening to him recount the story, I looked up at the stars and imagined myself as one of them navigating the vast sky. Beside me, I heard Uncle Beorn stand abruptly. It caused me to open my eyes and look at him. I quickly noticed the flabbergasted expression on his face. I opened my mouth to ask him why he wore such a look, but all that came out was a bizarre grumble.

I was certain my look matched his by then. In an instant, my mind thought back to the story he had just told me but I kept trying to convince myself it was nothing more than that, a story.

My curiosity got the better of me though, and I looked down at my body. I stared at my scale covered chest and froze in shock and astonishment. After I got over the initial shock of seeing myself in a dragon's body, I turned my head around to see spines protruding from my back. The fact I could even see down my back startled me. I then lifted my arm and gawked. It had been shaped into a wing.

When I finally regained the ability to move, I shifted my gaze back to Uncle Beorn. I decided to change back to my general form so we could communicate, however, both of us were still at a loss for words. I was the first to speak saying, "I suppose it's not just a legend, then." All he did was shake his head.

He then turned to look at the house and said, "We should go tell your mother." And so I showed her my recent discovery. We agreed that I keep this newfound discover a secret. Most see dragons as enemies and those that don't, want me on their side as a sort of weapon.


	2. Meeting Dwarves

I'm sitting behind a boulder near the Baranduin River waiting for a meal to pass by. Currently just listening to the water flowing over small pebbles and rocks.

Some time later a fair sized rabbit stops for a drink. I quickly transform into a wolf and watch it. The rabbit walked right past not noticing me being there. I quickly and quietly as possible crawl behind it and snatch my jaw shut with the rabbit in my mouth. When I feel the rabbit is dead, or very close, I sit down to eat.

I start nibbling on it, but then I hear very hushed voices in some nearby bushes. They weren't far off but it was hard to hear even with my enhanced hearing. I jump around, baring my teeth, ready to attack, but instead, am met with two frightened dwarves.

One is holding a sword while the other has an arrow aimed at me. They probably wanted a quick drink from the river. I sit down and start eating again, not caring whether they were there or not.

One of the dwarves approaches me as I finish eating, sword raised should I attack them. There was nothing left but a few bones with some fat still on them when I look up.

The dwarf with the sword drawn has shoulder length blonde hair. His hair, beard, and mustache are all neatly braided, and he has blue eyes.

The other dwarf with the bow has dark brown hair, a brunette, with no braids and not much of a beard. He had mostly bristles covering his chin and partially under his neck. He has a nice pair of brown eyes.

The blonde bends down a little and hesitantly reaches his hand out to let me. I shy away from his hand, still wary of the two dwarves.

He says in a calm low voice, "Shh. It's alright. We won't hurt you." He holds out his hand trying to get me to trust them. I hesitantly walk up and sniff his hand. I start to lick it after I was acquainted with his scent.

"That's it. What are you?" he asks. He gets on his knees while rubbing my back. "Female wolf from what I can tell. A rather large one too. Strange."

I slowly start walking towards the brunette trying to get his scent, but he raises his bow again. and takes a step backwards. I back up so I'm behind the blonde.

"Kili, she won't hurt you brother. She's just being friendly." says the blonde. I was going to let him approach me because I was scared to move, thinking he would kill me if I did.

He kneels on one knee while setting the bow beside him wanting me to approach him. I walk over and take in his scent. He looks to his brother for help and the blonde says, "Go on and pet her, Kili. She won't hurt you."

Kili extends his arm out a little farther and I lick it. He starts scratching behind my ear which I really enjoy. I lie down and he scratches my belly which feels great. Nobody has done that for a long while now.

He starts laughing as I lick his face. his brother comes over and pets my head saying,"Come on Kili. We'll be the last to arrive if we don't leave soon."

"But Fili!" Kili whines,"I think she likes me. Do you think we can keep her? Do you think Uncle will allow it?"

"We can bring her with us, but if Thorin says to let her go, then we will," replies Fili. He has rope in his hands and ties it around my neck. It ties it loose enough so it wouldn't choke me, but made it right enough so I couldn't run off. I wasn't going to anyway, and I don't mind the rope as long as he meant pull too hard.

The walk back to the path they were originally travelling on and walk towards the Shire. _Why are they headed to the Shire?_

The sun starts to set as we reach the borders of the Shire. Then the two dwarves start talking about meeting a hobbit. _Oh! So that's why they are in the Shire. But why are they meeting a hobbit?_

"What is his name?" asks Fili. "Boggins, I think it is," answers Kili. "They live in holes right? I wonder what it will be like."


	3. Bag End

A little bit after dark we arrive at the hobbit's hole. It has a green, round door with a doorknob right in the center of it. The door also has some type of marking which I assume Gandalf put there.

"This is the place," says Fili as he reaches over and rings the bell. None of us has ever met a hobbit before, so this is going to be interesting.

The door opens and standing in the doorway is the hobbit they were talking about. He doesn't seem too pleased at our arrival. Then the dwarves introduce themselves. "Fili." "And Kili," they say. Then they bow and say in unison, "At your service."

"You must be Mr. Boggins." says Kili. The hobbit quickly says, "Nope! You can't come in. You must've come to the wrong house."

He tries to shut the door but Kili pushes the door open and asks, "What? Has it been cancelled?" "No one told us." says Fili. The hobbit looking really confused says, "No. Nothing has been cancelled."

"That's a relief," says Kili pushing past the hobbit, Fili behind him with the rope still in his hands. It is then that the hobbit realises I'm there and asks, "I-Is that a dog?"

"No. She's a wolf," answers Fili. He then turns around and hands his weapons to the hobbit saying, "Careful with these. Just had 'em sharpened." Then Kili walks by looking around and says, "It's nice this place." "Yeah." Fili agrees. "Did you do it yourself?" Kili asks.

"What? No, it's been in the family for years." says the hobbit. Kili starts to wipe mud off his boots onto some sort of box. This doesn't go unnoticed by the hobbit and he quite frantically says, "That is my mother's glory box. Could you please not do that?"

Then another large and bulky dwarf walks towards us and says, "Fili, Kili. Come on, give us a hand." Kili walks off with him and says, "Mister Dwalin."

Then I see another dwarf with a large white beard. He looks much older than the others. I follow him into some type of kitchen and dining area. There is a pantry with a considerable amount of food on the opposite side.

I go to look at what kind of food the hobbit eats, but the dwarves catch my attention again. Shove this in the hallway, otherwise, we'll never get everyone in." says the oldest dwarf.

 _How many more dwarves will there be?_

The hobbit also heard this and asks, "E-Everyone? How many more are there?" He still has Fili's weapons in his arms when the doorbell rings for the third or fourth time tonight.

"Oh no." says the hobbit. He walks towards the door and drops the weapons saying, "No no. There's nobody home! Go away and bother somebody else! There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If this is some clot-head's idea of a joke. Ha! I can only say, it is in very poor taste!"

He opens the door and dwarves fall on to one another forming a rather large pile on the floor. On the other side of the lump of dwarves, I see Gandalf and give a happy bark. All the dwarves on the floor are grumbling about being crushed by a rather large, and heavy dwarf on top.

Gandalf bends down, slightly chuckling and looks at the hobbit. "Gandalf." the hobbit sighs, realising this is his doing. I bark again happy to see Gandalf. He scratches behind my ear and says, "Good to see you too, Eruanna." The dwarves are all up by now and Gandalf heads to the kitchen with them.

I go over to a mat and lie down. I block out what everyone is saying to think. _Why are all these dwarves in a hobbit hole of all places? I can assume the dwarves and hobbit don't know each other. So, why are they all here?_

After a little bit, I give up coming up with a reasonable explanation and smell all the meat they're having. I hear lots of cheering and chattering and go to join the fun.

I jump up and place my paws to the left of Kili. He moves a little so I can fit beside him. I grab something with my mouth which appears to be some type of meat. I scarf down anything and everything in front of me. I haven't had this much to eat in a long time.

Fili gets up onto the table with mugs of ale and asks, "Who wants an ale? Here you go." "Over here, brother!" says Kili. I too want an ale, so I bark to let him know. Right as he sets it down I lap it up. That is some good ale, possibly the best I've ever had.

Then the dwarves start burping, the dwarf left of me having the loudest and largest burp out of all. I can't imagine how the hobbit is feeling right now.

Soon, most of the dwarves are finished eating, some staying at the table and some going about the house doing whatever. I stay there and continue to eat.

I soon have a full stomach and go lie down on the mat again. I hear the hobbit complaining to Gandalf about the dwarves and then they start a song:

 _"Blunt the knives, bend the forks._

 _Smash the bottles and burn the corks._

 _Chip the glasses and crack the plates,_

 _That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

 _(So that's what his name is.)_

 _"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat._

 _Leave the bones on the bedroom mat._

 _Pour the milk on the pantry floor,_

 _Splash the wine on every door!_

 _Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl,_

 _Pound them up with a thumping pole._

 _And when you're finished if they are whole,_

 _Send them down the hall to roll!"_

One of the dwarves starts playing a little fiddle and after he finishes his part, they finish the song by shouting,

 _"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"_

The song is over and there is much cheering and laughter going on. It stops almost immediately with three loud knocks on the door. "He is here," mutters Gandalf.


	4. The Dwarves' Quest

Gandalf stands then walks to the door and opens it. There standing outside the door is none other than Thorin Oakenshield himself.

"Gandalf," he says, "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way. Twice. I wouldn't have found it at all, had the mark not been on the door."

Just then Bilbo appears and says, "Mark? I can assure you there is no mark on my door. I painted it a week ago."

Gandalf says to Bilbo, "There is a mark. I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So this is your hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" asks Thorin. "Pardon?" says Bilbo. Then Thorin asks, "Axe or sword. What is your weapon of choice?" "Well, I have some skill in conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," replies Bilbo.

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar," says Thorin. All the dwarves laugh including Gandalf. Then Thorin spots me and asks, "Why is there a wolf here?"

He spends a good moment assessing me before shifting his look to the two dwarves that had brought me here.

Kili goes up to him and says, "Fili and I found her along the river. We decided to bring her." Thorin looks to Fili, who gives a nod telling Thorin it's true.

Thorin looks disapprovingly at the two younger dwarves in front of him. "I thought you would've known better than to take in a dangerous beast. What if it's a spy?" he reprimands them.

Gandalf speaks up though. "This is Eruanna. She is my, uh, pet," he says. I stand in front of Thorin and bow as best I can as a wolf, earning a few chuckles and multiple curious looks.

I walked over to Gandalf and sit. He scratches behind my ear while saying, "She would not hurt any of you, especially you Thorin. She may not know the company, yet, but she would die for all of you."

Thorin nods accepting me for the moment and walks to the dining area. He sits down and is given a bowl of soup from Bilbo.

I jump onto Bilbo's sofa to lie down and rest. I hear Thorin and the dwarves talking. I wasn't listening until I heard Bilbo asking about a quest.

"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," says Gandalf. "Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak," he says.

Bilbo mumbles to himself, "The Lonely Mountain." This catches my attention so I walk to the table, jump up and put my front paws on it. On the table, I see a map of Erebor lying in front of Thorin.

"Aye, Oin has read the portents and they say it is time." says a dwarf with a red beard. Then the dwarf I guess is Oin says, "Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain, as it was foretold. When the birds or yore return to Erebor the reign of the beast will end."

Bilbo was listening from a corner in his house and asks, "What beast?" Then the dwarf with the funky hat says, "Well that would be a reference to Smaug the terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather. His teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, and extremely fond of precious metals."

"Well yes, I know what a dragon is," says Bilbo. The dwarf that sat left of me earlier stands and exclaims, "I'm not afraid, I'm up for it. I'd give him a taste a dwarfish iron right up his jacksie!"

"Good lad Ori!" shouts one of the dwarves. Then the one next to him says for Ori to sit down.

"The task would be difficult with an entire army behind us, but our number is just thirteen and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." says the old dwarf with the white beard. "Who are you calling dim?" shouts a dwarf while Oin asks for him to repeat, his ears not picking up what he had said.

Then Fili stands and speaks boldly, "We may be few in numbers, but we're fighters, all of us, down to the last dwarf!" "And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili exclaims.

Then Gandalf puts in, "Well no, I wouldn't exactly say-" A dwarf cuts him off and asks, "How many then?" "What?" asks Gandalf. "Well, how many dragons have you killed?" asks the same dwarf.

Gandalf starts coughing on his pipe while the dwarves start arguing and shouting how many dragons he has slain. _Poor Gandalf. I wonder what the dwarves would do if they found out he hasn't killed any. Probably haven't even really seen one up close and personal, except me of course._

Then Thorin shouts something in dwarfish and they all quiet down and sit. He then starts a speech. "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug, has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes are looking to the east, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people lies unprotected. Do we sit back while we let others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor!" _He is a true leader. A King._

All the dwarves start cheering loudly until the old one says, "You forget the front gate is sealed. There is no way to enter the mountain." Then Gandalf pulls out a key and says, "That my dear Balin, is not entirely true."

"How came you by this?" Thorin asks. "It was given to me by your father. By Thrain. For safekeeping. It is yours now." answers Gandalf.

He hands the key to Thorin and Fili says, "If there is a key, there must be a door." Gandalf continues while pointing to runes on the map and says, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"There's another way in!" says Kili, hope visible in his eyes. "Well if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I do not have the skill to find it, but there are others in Middle Earth who can," states Gandalf.

"The task I have in mind requires a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage, but if we are careful and clever I believe that it can be done." says Gandalf.

"That's why we need a burglar," says Ori. "And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine," says Bilbo. Then the red-bearded one asks, "Are you?" "Am I what?" asks Bilbo, not getting at what the dwarves were trying to say.

"He said he was an expert!" cheers Oin, who obviously heard him wrong. "Me? I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life." says Bilbo. "Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He is hardly burglar material," says Balin.

"Aye, the wild is no place for the gentle folk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin also agrees. "He's just fine!" says Kili. Then all the dwarves start chattering again.

As the dwarves start getting out of control again, Gandalf stands and goes all scary wizard on them, making the room go dark saying in a commanding tone, "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is. Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most if they so choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage." He sits down again and continues, " You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself. You must trust me on this."

"Very well. We will do it your way," says Thorin. "Give him the contract," he says, nodding to Balin.

Balin stands and hands Bilbo the contract saying, " It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Bilbo sighs while he takes a look at the contract.

I hear Thorin say to Gandalf, " I cannot guarantee his safety, nor will I be responsible for his fate." "Understood and agreed," Gandalf replies.

"Incineration?" asks Bilbo. Funky hat dwarf says, "Aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." "You alright?" Balin asks. "Yeah, just feel a bit faint," Bilbo replies.

Then Funky hat dwarf adds, "Think furnace, with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash." Bilbo can't take it all at once so he stands straight and faints.

"Very helpful, Bofur," says Gandalf. I walk over to Bilbo and nudge his arm. He stirs a little. I grab the collar of his shirt and drag him to a chair. He gets up and sits in the chair, a little disoriented at first.

I go back to the sofa figuring there's not much going on now. A little while later I hear deep, soothing, humming. After a minute or so, Thorin starts to sing.

 _Far over the Misty Mountains cold._

 _To dungeons deep and caverns old._

 _We must away ere break of day._

 _To find our long forgotten gold._

 _The pines were roaring on the height._

 _The winds were moaning in the night._

 _The fire was red, it flaming spread._

 _The trees like torches blazed with light._

The song ends, and the dwarves prepare themselves for the night. I won't forget that song. It was calming and relaxing, but it also had a very sad tone to it. I know what it was referring to.

Before Thorin heads off to bed though, he walks over to Gandalf and asks, " Will the wolf be joining us?" "Yes Thorin, she will. And she will be a great addition to the company. In time you will all come to like her." answers Gandalf.

"How so?" Thorin asks. "Some things have happened in her past that makes her hate for orcs as strong as yours. She can fight for herself, and she'll fight for all of you too." Gandalf says.

"Alright, but if she hurts anybody-" Thorin says. Gandalf cuts him off saying, " She'd never do anything of the like while in her right mind." "How is it that you know this wolf?" Thorin asks. "She will tell you when she is ready. It is not my place to tell."

"How is it possible for a wolf-" Thorin begins, but Gandalf interrupts him saying, "It is time to rest now. Goodnight Thorin."

I jump off the sofa and lie closer to the fire, ready for sleep. I yawn before shutting my eyelids. I replay the song over and over in my head, it lulling me to sleep.


End file.
